The White Flag

  Have you ever sat and pondered why the underside of a lot of critters' tails is white?  Just around the Bayou, I have noticed a good many animals have the trait.  Deer and rabbits are probably the most noticeable but this morning, it finally dawned on me that birds have the same white tuft beneath their tails.  Why??  Well, it is a warning flag.  Once an adult critter recognizes a danger, they flick that white tail like a flag.  This is an alert for their little ones to take cover, freeze in their tracks or flee the area as quickly as they can.  The white tail flick is a universal alarm in the critter world.

  Early this morning, I headed to the pier as usual. My encounter with the cottonmouth a few days earlier left me alert and ready if need be.  Once on the pier, I was able to relax a bit and take notice of what was around me other than watching the placement of my steps.  To my left, a mama rail was busily showing her brood the fine art of catching minnows.  She had brought the youngsters to the perfect place since the mudflats were teeming with stranded minnows.  Small rivulets were alive with minnows trying to escape the ever-shrinking puddle of water.  Low tide is not kind to procrastinators!  Mama Rail snatched up minnow after minnow.  She would immediately drop her catch and call for her little ones.  This was all before she noticed me.  Even though the bird is familiar with me, she flicked that white flag and made the call of alarm.  Her chicks raced under the cover of the pier and were not to be seen.  She continued to feed in the shallows but the little ones stayed put.  

  Mama Rail had just used me as a lesson for her young.  "If I give the warning, you are to take cover and not come back until I call you." she seemed to have told them.  Her lesson had been learned well and her chicks were safe all due to the flick of the white tail.